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Back To School

Monday, January 5, 2009

Emma returned to school today, and it's a good thing. One more day off, and there could have been some serious knock down, drag out fights occurring. Welcome to life with a sassy six year old. I don't know how her teacher does it. Nineteen 7 and 6 year olds. I would be keeping the vintners in Napa and Sonoma in business if that were my job.

On another note: bus stop encounterthis morning. It's been about 2 weeks since I've seen my neighbor, and boy was she saving it up for me. After asking me about my Christmas, she dove right in and made up for lost time. I now know that the IRS has denied their "offer and compromise" (apparently, that's the official term for it). This means that they attempted to make a compromise with the IRS to pay a percentage of what is owed. The IRS denied it claiming that there is equity in the home that can be tapped into. Since my neighbor is on the deed, the IRS is expecting her to take a loan against the equity. However, it's actually her father who is the rightful owner of the home. He (mistakenly, in hindsight, I'm sure) had placed her on the deed in the event of an unexpected death. I'll bet he's kicking himself now. She says they don't have the money to pay a cent. They've had to fold the business because of the back taxes. She can't get a job because of her college courses, and her husband is doing odd jobs for cash.

Seriously, this is more information than I need. I know it's unrealistic, but I like to think that my neighbors lead idyllic lives. I want to believe that behind their doors, everything is hearts, rainbows and butterflies. Alas, I know that's not possible.

But, in the end, my biggest question is why does she talk to me, a casual acquaintance, about such personal matters? Surely she must have a girlfriend with whom she's much closer than she is to me. Perhaps she sees me as an innocent bystander who can offer an objective point of view. Whatever the reason, I sure hope she straightens this out before spring when the weather is warmer and I have no excuse for running inside to the warmth.